Summer Salutations!

Can you believe it's June? It feels like spring. We haven't had a super hot day yet and everything is in bloom. The only true spring to summer transition has been in our house, where the moss baskets give way to stars and stripes. P and I truly love summer just for the fact that there are 3 sequential patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Fourth of July. P, being a history major and overall enthusiast always proposes we watch the John Adams miniseries and "Our American Presidents" documentaries in June. That one has lofty goals. We are just a normal Midwestern couple who truly loves our country. A few weeks ago our Sunday supper was appeared super patriotic:

A beautiful panzanella and bibb lettuces with buttermilk ranch. The colors! The stars and stripes table linens! My heart!

Last year I even stumbled across some amazing things at Jonathan Adler. Right now, when you walk into our house, George Washington will stare you down from this platter I have fashioned as a piece of art.

Don't worry, I got the matching salad serving set and condiment bowls too.

Today, I am here to share a super summer dessert (that is red/white/blue to boot!). Everyone knows pie, some people love it and some people don't. What I am here to share with you is a CROSTATA. I am really having a crostata moment right now. I would say it's an excellent first step to making pie. It allows you to make dough and roll it out, but not so far that really requires skill. However, a free-form rustic pie is exactly my aesthetic, and the fact the one I made last night uses all berries is just a plus. I found this dough recipe in Ina Garten's cookbook, but have created a truly amazing filling combination, it had to be shared. And it is super simple. 

SUMMER BERRY CROSTATA

CRUST:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 t Salt

2 Sticks Cold Unsalted Butter, diced

6 Tablespoons Ice Water

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Add the cold water and keep pulsing until the dough starts to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, divide into two balls, make into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. This recipe makes enough for two crostatas, so freeze one for later, or get enough fruit to make two!

If you do not have a food processor, a fun trick I learned was to freeze your butter, then grate it with a box grater. Place back in the freezer. Mix the dry ingredients in a regular bowl, and toss in the grated butter. Mix with a pastry blender. Add the water until a ball forms.

Let the dough chill for a few hours.

FILLING:

1/2 Cup Blueberries

1/2 Cup Raspberries

1/2 Cup Strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cornstarch

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Allow to sit for 10  minutes while you roll the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Remove the dough from the fridge and place disc on well-floured surface. Roll disc into a 12-inch round with rolling pin. You may have to do this two or three times (at least I do), so get a workable dough, but do not work it too much; you'll lose the tenderness in the crust. Once you have a flat round, fold in half, then fold in half again. Place triangle on the top of a prepared baking sheet, unfold your disc completely to reveal the full round. Spoon your berry mixture onto the middle of the dough, leaving a large border. Roll the edges of the dough into the center, creating an overlapping crust around the berries.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough turns a nice golden brown. If you want to serve out of the oven, wait about 20 minutes for the juices to cool down and thicken.

When I made this last night, P was almost afraid to tell me how good it was because he framed it as: "it's way better than the last one you made." Gee thanks. Another gem from last night; "you burned the brussels sprouts perfectly." We love the char. 

After the month of May, we are completely caked out. Two birthdays and a wedding anniversary will do that to you. Also, we went to Summer House Santa Monica Saturday night, which was superb. Especially their cookie bar. So, Sunday family Supper called for a light and delicious fruit dessert. I'm glad my husband is branching out into new foods. He was one of those "only chocolate desserts" kind of guys. The worst. It took almost 5 years, but he's come over to my side now and really appreciating food as being multidimensional. Instead of it being "good" and in "mass quantities," we like to focus on "seasonal" and "substance." I like making my own pies because rather than eating "glop with fruit," you get to eat fruit and crust, and maybe if you're lucky... with ice cream. Therefore completing the red/white/blue trifecta.